Another Year and We're Still Here!

After 8 months of refurbishing the house we pressurised and promised ourselves the “house will be done by Christmas”.

Well apart from a few last minute touches and the odd door to paint, we did it and even got one of those new fangled flat screen TVs to watch the rubbish that was on TV at Christmas to boot (Debbe used her finely tuned bartering skills with the shop salesman to wangle £100 off a £600 tele – a joy to watch. It just shows you what can be done if you ask!). Having said that I’m thinking of taking it back with the complaint of “it’s all the same crap as our old tele! I was expecting some new programs with the new one”. Just to see what the sales guy says!

So apart from a new sofa for the back room (we’ll get that in the sales) and a few new book cases and curtains, we’re done. Phew!

Today is the day after Crimble and Boxing Day. We had my 85 year old mother to stay (picture taken on Christmas Day, my father died some years ago) for turkey and all the trimmings cooked in our swanky cooker. To be honest I find turkey a bit bland and usually we have something more exotic, but after being ‘turkeyless’ for a few Christmas’ I relented to Debbe’s request and we got one in.

A good day, we didn’t have too much grub so the ‘wind’ was kept to a minimum and booze was not excessive (which is unusual for me). Diabolical tele though. Not even a Jimmy Bond on the BBC. Thank goodness for Sky Movies (Casino Royale).

Boxing Day we had Debbe’s side over for a buffet style tea, 10 in total if you include my Mum and Zack, our 1 year old nephew born of Debbe’s brother and Robert and Cath, who’s just started to toddle about. All went well and we played a ropey interactive DVD game of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” which filled in a bit of time and made a change from the norm.

It’s interesting to see how the dynamics of a family’s traditions start to change once there’s a young child newly introduced into it (the first in Debbe’s family since her brother Robert some 35 years previously). No doubt things will change again next year and the year after that as he (Zack) starts to understand what’s happening and who Santa is etc.

Now it’s the run up to New Year, a good time to catch up on some sleep and recover from a busy year in the office. I’m unusual in Debbe’s circle in that I like the New Year celebrations. This year we’ve booked a table in a local restaurant after which we’ll be in the pub over the road ringing the New Year whereupon we’ll stagger home.

A great end to the year in my book.

Happy New Year to all my blog readers.